6 Key Emergency Survival Tips From Wilderness Experts

Despite what you've seen in the movies, sucking venom out of a snakebite won't get you very far. Here's how to get through six extreme situations. For four harrowing survival stories and more advice from the experts, check out our "How I Survived" feature here.

• Hypothermia

Rule No. 1: Exercise if you're freezing cold. It will warm you up. Rule No. 2: Disregard rule No. 1 if you're in the water. With hypothermia, blood vessels constrict, reducing the supply of warm blood to the skin. That keeps internal organs warm—which is what you want. But forcing those vessels open by exercising in the water pushes the warm blood to the surface, where it quickly gets chilled. If you're immersed in water, stay still.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

• Lightning

Some 600 people are struck every year; about 60 are killed. First, the common-sense rules: Don't be—or be near—the tallest object around, and get rid of metal objects that are in contact with your skin. As a last resort, experts suggest squatting with just the balls of your feet on the ground. Cover your ears, close your mouth and eyes, and hope the bolt rolls over you.

• Drowning

Drown-proofing is a technique developed in the 1940s by legendary Georgia Tech swim coach Fred Lanoue. It enables you to stay alive for hours without exhausting yourself. Here's how it works: Most humans are naturally buoyant—we float, but just below the surface. So rest by floating facedown in the water with arms out, scarecrow-style. Every 15 seconds, raise your arms to the surface, then push down. The motion causes your head to rise above the surface long enough for you to take a breath.

More From Popular Mechanics

• Poisonous Snakes

Every year, 8000 people are bitten by snakes—drunken men are statistically over-represented—but few bites are fatal. To check if you've been bitten by a poisonous snake, look for a pair of deep puncture marks. Swelling will be quick, so remove constricting items such as jewelry. Now, try to stay calm and keep the bite below heart level as you head to the nearest hospital. What about slicing the bite and sucking out the venom? It doesn't work, and you might slice into something that can't be easily repaired.

• Dog Attack

Wild-animal attacks will get you on the Discovery Channel, but they're extremely rare. Dog bites send 885,000 people to the doctor every year. "Never run from an aggressive dog," says Jeremy Talamantes of K-9 Behavior Services. "If you do, you're just bait." Conventional wisdom cautions people to freeze, but Talamantes takes it further. "You want to stand your ground, puff yourself up and yell, 'Get back!' That's going to hurt the dog's confidence, and most times it'll stay back."

• Major Wound

Apply direct pressure by clamping your hand on the wound, then elevate the injury above the heart to slow blood flow. If bleeding continues for 30 minutes, use clothes to wrap the site in a pressure dressing. "Don't keep checking to see if it's working, even if it's bloody" says Dr. Jeff Gutterman, a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. "That's a classic mistake." If the bleeding doesn't stop after another 30 minutes, tie off the wound a few inches above the site. If you get emergency help within several hours you probably won't lose the limb.